Apparatus for vulcanizing inner tubes



April 1929. o. J. KUHLKE APPARATUS FOR VULCANIZING INNER TUBES Filed March l0, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet /C INVENTOR A TTORNZ April 2, 1929. o. J. KUHLKE APPARATUS FOR VULCANI ZING INNER TUBES Filed March 10. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet fig-2 g m NVENTOR Orro J UHL/(E A TTORIIVE 14$.

Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

- UNITED STATE-S [PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO J. ZKUHLKE, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL BUBBER--MAGHINEBYCOMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

APPARATUS-FOR VULCANIZING INNER TUBES.

Application filed March- 10, 1928. Serial No. 260,877.

'The object of this invention is to improve upon certain prior constructions of vulcanizers for inner tubes, or similar articles, such as shown and described, for example,'inmy prior Patent No. 1,644,678, dated October In the prior patented construction, the machine as shown and described is adaptablc for the manufacture of a single size of tube or the like. The object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism which is adaptable for adjustment, to different sizes of molds without necessitating a complete cha'nge of equipment. For this purpose, the machine of the prior patent has been modified so as to make it readily adaptable for a large range of mold sizes as will be understood by those skilled in this art from the description which will be given. The manufacturer can thus readily adapt his equipment for the varying demands as to sizes of tubes, and

it is unnecessary to provide the multiplicityof' units required with the earlier patented constructio Briefly stated, the invention comprises an adaptor for l ke on a tube vulea'nizer which will support varying sizes of molds. 'While the invention is illustrated as applied to the molding of tubes, it will be apparent that it can readily be appliedto the molding of flaps or other circular articles.

In the drawings in which. the preferred form of the, invention is shown p I :Figure .1 is a ,front elevation of the improved tube vulcanizer showing the mold closed in full lines and-open in dotted lines;

Figure 2' is a sectionon the line 2-2 of .Fi re 1;

igure'3 is an enlarged elevationof that portion of the ads. tor plate located at the inge with the mol removed; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3. 1

he apparatus consists of the vertical upright 1 which is supported on' the base 2 and to the rear of which is secured an operating cylinder 4, the piston of which operates the vertical operatin member 5. To the upper end of the u rig t 1 are pivoted horizontal shafts 6 to w ich are secured gear segments 8 each of which meshes with a rack formed in the side of the member 5. so that as the member is moved vertically, the gear segments are rocked. To. these segments are secured arms 9 and to the ends of oted links 10.

In the prior construction, the movable mold elements were suspended directly from the ends of, the links. I

In the present apparatus, however, the arms 10 are connected to arc-shaped adaptor plates 12 and 13. These plates are of sufiicient width to receive the various sizes of molds forwhich the apparatus is adapted. The plate 12 is provided at its lower side with a roller bearing 15, and the plate 13 with an ex: tension 16 which overlies the lower end of the arms are piv the late 12 and carries a pivot 18 receivable" 22. When the rack 5 is lowered, the adaptor plates are raised and moved together, bein old in locked position by a swingin lin 28. When-the rack is. elevated, the a aptor plates are swung apart and lowered to the position shownin dotted lines in-Figure 1.

The mold consists of an inner circular mold member and two outer mold members, each of which is attached toan adaptor plate. The inner mold member is designated by the numeral 30 and is attached to the front of the upright 1 by brackets32. The details of the inoldneed not be described as it is made substantially as shown in the prior patent, it in necessary merely to state that the brac ets 32 on every size of mold are all alike so that any size of mold is always centrally.

positioned with respect to the machine.

The movable mold members are designated at 34 and 35, the moldmember 34 being carried upon the adaptor plate 12 and the member 35 .inthe plate l3. The mold members are ivoted by a transverse pin 36 in the vmem er 34 and located inroller bearings 37 on the member 35. When the molds are mounted on the adaptor plates, the pin 36 is in alignment with the bearing pin 18 for the plates. The mold sections are attached to .the plates by single bolts passing through apertures Oat the lower sides of the plates and by bolts through the properly selected A swinging, bifurcated link 24' an exto rest.

the plates, In this manner the hingebetween the mold sections is kept' in alignment with.

the hinge on the adaptor plates, while the varying sizes are taken care of by the plurality of openings at the top of the plates.

What is claimed is 1. An apparatus for curing tubes or the like, comprising a support', a stationary inner mold member on the support, a pairof plates j carried on the support, said plates being pivotall; connected, and a pair of outer mold mem ers pivotally connected together, the pivot of the outer members coinciding with the pivot for the plates,

2. An apparatus for curing tubes or the like, comprising a support, a stationary inner mold member on the support, a pair of plates carried on the support, a pivotal connection for said plates, outer mold members remov-H closing the inner mold members, and a pivotal connection between the outer mold members, said connection being coaxial With the pivotal connection between the plates.

3. In an apparatus for the uses and purposes set forth, a pair of plates pivotally connected together, outer mold members attached to said plates and pivotally connected together, and an inner mold member fixed with relation to the plates, said plates having means to hold varying sizes of mold mem-' bers with their hinges always coaxial with the hinges of said plates.

. OTTO J. KUHLKE. 

